Required documents student residence permit

For your visa and/or residence permit application, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the start date of your study program. If your passport expires before this date, you will need to renew it before the application deadline.

When completing your digital application in OSIRIS, you must upload a clear scan of your passport. The scan should include:

• Your personal data
• Your signature
• Passport number
• Date of issue and expiration
• All pages with relevant information (visas, stamps, renewals, etc.)

If you currently hold a valid residence permit for another EU country, please also upload a clear scan of that document.

Once you have paid your invoice, make sure to obtain proof of payment. This document must be uploaded in OSIRIS and should include the following details:

• Account number from which the payment was made
• Name of the account holder
• Name of the bank
• Payment date
• Amount transferred and currency
• Recipient's account number (UU)
• Payment reference

If you receive a scholarship that covers the tuition fee, you are not required to pay the invoice in advance. Instead, you can forward the invoice to your scholarship provider and upload the award letter to your online visa application.

If you are from mainland China, you will receive a separate invoice that includes the amount for living expenses.

For your visa and/or residence permit application, you must demonstrate that you have sufficient financial means to support yourself during your stay in the Netherlands. The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) is very strict about the proof of financial means, so it’s crucial that your financial documents meet all the requirements. If they do not, your residence permit may be denied.

The IND requires proof that you can cover your living expenses during your stay. They have set a minimum monthly amount for students, which accounts for average housing costs and living expenses. This amount is currently €1225 per month.

For your residence permit application, you must show that you have sufficient financial means for the first 12 months of your stay or for the official duration of your exchange program if you are an exchange student. For degree students, this amount is in addition to the money required to pay the tuition fee. This means you must have at least €14,700 (12 x €1225) available, and this amount cannot be used for paying your tuition fee.

Note: As of January 2024, the IND has increased the minimum monthly living expenses. For more details, please refer to the IND’s website. We’ve rounded the amount up to €1225 to account for possible error margins and fluctuations in exchange rates. Keep this in mind if you are applying for a scholarship or student loan.

The full required amount must be available in your bank account prior to your application. For example, a bank statement showing a balance of €10,000 along with an email stating you will receive the remaining €4700 in July will not be accepted by the IND.

There are three ways to prove that you have sufficient financial means:

1. Scholarship
2. Personal financial means
3. A sponsor (such as a family member), who does NOT reside in the Netherlands

You may combine funds from any of these three sources to meet the financial requirement.

Bank statement criteria

Your bank statement must include the following information:

• Name and address of the bank
• Currency
• Name(s) of the account holder(s). If you have a joint account, you must provide written consent from the second account holder allowing you to access the specified amount.
• Account balance
• Full account number
• Account type
• Date of the statement

Your documents must meet the following criteria:

• Be dated within the last two months. If you have already paid your tuition fee, the bank document(s) must be dated after the payment date.
• Not indicate that there is a hold on the funds (e.g., no term/time deposits or share/stock portfolios).
• Show a balance sufficient for the entire duration of your stay, or at least for the first year.
• Be issued in English, French, Dutch, or German. If not, the document(s) must be translated by a certified translator (translations by a lawyer or notary are not accepted).

Due to a different process please visit our site for students from mainland China.

You can find the form here: Antecedents Certificate from the Immigration and Naturalisation service appendix (pdf).

This form includes the declarations required by the IND. Please read each declaration carefully and check the applicable box.

When completing the form, ensure that:

• You leave the V-number field blank.
• The name you enter in section 2.2 matches the name on your passport.
• You fill in the place and date of signing in section 2.4 (NOT your place and date of birth).
• Your signature in section 2.5 matches the signature in your passport.

The IND does NOT accept digital signatures. You must print the form, fill it out by hand, sign it with a pen, and then scan the completed form.

If the country of your nationality is not on the list of exemptions, the IND requires you to complete a ‘Declaration of intent to undergo a TB test.’

List of countries that are exempted from the TB test.

If your country is not listed, you must complete the following form: Declaration of intent to undergo a TB test from Immigration and Naturalisation Service appendix. 

By completing and signing this form, you declare that you are prepared to undergo a TB test and – if necessary – treatment after your arrival in the Netherlands.

When filling out the form, ensure that:

• You check the ‘yes’ box in section 1.1.
• You leave the V number field (1.2) blank.
• Your name and personal details match exactly the information on your passport.
• You leave sections 2.4, 2.5, and 2.6 blank if you are 18 or older. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must answer these questions and provide a scan of their passport or ID.

The IND does NOT accept digital signatures. You must print the form, fill it out by hand, sign it with a pen, and scan it.

While it is not necessary to upload proof of health insurance in the online application, Dutch law requires that everyone living in the Netherlands has adequate health insurance. You must arrange for appropriate health insurance coverage before arriving in the Netherlands. You can find more information on health insurance options here!